One of the things that drew me to Portland was its intense love of all things soccer. I've always considered soccer my favorite sport, but that wasn't really saying a lot. I would watch a game of almost any sport, but beyond that I couldn't care less. The aspect of leagues and player stats bored me to death. I began shying away from sports all together convincing myself that I just wasn't interested in them. I believe it is safe to say that aspect of me is slowly changing.
Growing up I always had an interest in soccer. I played a few years in Elementary School(What boy in the 90s didn't) and was pretty bad. I enjoyed watching the Kansas City Wizards(now Sporting KC.) Going to a game was an excellent way to spend a summer evening, and, compared to Chiefs or Royals tickets, it was fairly cheap way too. Even if they hardly ever made it to the playoffs there was a decent crowd, and people enjoyed themselves.
Nothing like what I've experienced here in Portland. The entire city goes all out for it's teams. Both the Trailblazers and the Timbers are the talk of the town. There are massive ad campaigns going on across the city that showcase both the fans and teams. Even after losing their first 2 games of the league the Timbers still sold months of sellout games. It is amazing to see downtown bustle with crowds filling into the continually sold out stadium. Watching the light rail become a sea of green was an amazing sight. I recently went to the box office and asked when the next available tickets would be. I was flabberghasted to hear the next 6 games were sold out. I bought the last few tickets to a game that was 3 months away. This sort of intense citywide camraderie has provided me the boost I needed to actually pay attention to more then just one team. Rather then just go to a few games I am activally following their away games via radio. I'm going to pubs to watch the games I can't get tickets to. I've started paying attention to the other clubs in the MLS, and other leagues in general. I'm going to watch my first CONCACAF league game tonight. I'm excited that my interest has risen enough to be able to pull others in. I'm building excitement among people who might not have cared otherwise. That in itself makes me happy.
And Go Salt Lake!
Kendrick
These are the breaks 